Hello, AlternateHistory!
This is my first time posting to the map thread. This is a timeline I've been working on for the past year or two and I thought I'd share it here: a timeline that dives deep into what could happen if Canada became a superpower and its affects on the world. This will be one of many post, as I plan to post the rest of the timeline that's ready in pieces throughout the month so I don't clog up the forums. If you are interested, I do have a
discord server based on this timeline, where I show progress on the timeline and discuss its future. Please, do not be shy to ask questions if you're curious about something or to spot out mistakes, it will only help the timeline!
I hope you enjoy the first branch into this timeline and look forward to see more, as there is way more to discuss after this post. I am excited to share this project on this website and I hope to see you all later!
THE GREATER NORTH
PART I: THE BRIEF HISTORY OF CANADA
History and lore:
War of 1812
Tensions finally broke between Britain and the United States. After disputes over territorial expansion, supporting native peoples, and economics, the US would launch an invasion into British North America.
To defend Upper Canada and have complete control over the Great Lakes, the British would assault Fort Meigs to defend the recently captured Fort Detroit from American offensives. Units of British and Native fighters would attack the fort, with a major death toll on the American side, and fierce resistance against American assaults: Detroit and the Michigan Peninsula were successfully held by the British and Native Allies.
In upstate New York, the British pushed to capture Plattsburgh as planned instead of prematurely to hold a stronger position in Sackets Harbor, Lake Ontario and create a buffer between the Americans and Montreal. Prévost and his army would launch from the Richelieu River and gain naval supremacy in the lake, just before any American reinforcements could arrive and push out the British. Shortly after, Plattsburgh fell to the British and the main assault into Sackets Harbor would continue as a success, giving the British a major hold in upstate New York.
Britain's major territorial gains in the war would allow negotiators to hold a strong position in the Treaty of Ghent.
Britain's main goal was to secure a stronger security position in the Great Lakes and Upper/Lower Canada. To do this, the British demanded that upstate New York would become a part of British North America, with its borders drawn south of Buffalo and extended to the Hudson River to control the link between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and to have a major buffer south of the Saint Lawrence River.
The next area of dispute was Michigan. The British demanded to have control over Fort Meigs and have the rest of Michigan’s border drawn towards Lake Michigan. The goal was to secure a greater hold of all of the Great Lakes and to give the land to Tecumseh and its Native allies to create a buffer between the US and British North America.
The next territorial dispute was everything west of the Great Lakes. As stated before, Britain's goal was to have complete control over the Great Lakes, so having control over Wisconsin was a major stance. The British had eventual plans to expand to the Pacific Ocean, so to hold a strong position in both areas, the British claimed everything north of the 42nd parallel. The final territorial dispute was in Maine, where Britain wished to control everything northeast in the region.
The demands went beyond territory. The British also argued the United States cannot harbour naval ships in the Great Lakes. However, not all were against the US. Britain would agree to return freed slaves it captured during the war while the US held patriotic victories in Baltimore and New Orleans.
The Americans saw these territorial claims as harsh, but found itself in no position to take back or dispute these claims and signed the Treaty of Ghent on December 24. 1814.
Post 1812 and the development of British North America
Britain's newly acquired land would quickly be organized to how it saw fit. Its newly acquired territory in upstate New York would become an independent colony named Niagara. This colony was to be settled mostly with military forces as its main goal was to protect settlements in the Saint Lawrence region.
Michigan would be the next colony, with most of its land given to its native allies as planned. However, Detroit would be kept by European settlers as it was seen as an important economic hub in the Great Lakes. Despite these guarantees, the treaties signed between Natives and European colonizers would be dull and improperly enforced over time. Multiple land treaties would be broken as new settlers expanded in the region when metals like gold and copper were found, and forts like Lansing and Grand Rapids grew in population. As a result of this, most Natives would be pushed into Northern Michigan, and stay there for the rest of its history.
In the newly acquired regions west of the Great Lakes, the Southwest territory and British Columbia were created. Colonization into these regions would be slow for the time being, until railways and further immigration grew in the later years of British North America.
With new patches of resources being found, the economic potential was only inevitable, along with mass immigration to the region to take advantage of. As railways were being built in mass across British North America, a major railway was constructed from the Maritimes to Detroit, with major stops in Montreal and Toronto. This railway would be the lifeline that would develop British North America into independence.
As more industrialization and population booms occurred in the Great Lakes, a canal boom began. Rideau Canal benefitted Upper Canada, along with the Welland Canal which would help make Buffalo Niagara’s largest city. These developments would help immigration to Michigan grow in size as well, but eventually, immigration west of the Great Lakes began.
The first railroad would link the Michigan Peninsula with the Southwest Territory in the Wisconsin region, allowing the cities of Green Bay and Kenosha to rise. With this expansion, the colony of Wisconsin would be created to have administrative control over the particular region.
Altogether, the Great Lake Region, along with the Saint Lawrence and the Maritime Colonies would see major growth in its economy, industry, and population. With that growth came greater calls for independence from the British administration, so that these colonies could unite and have their own identity while maintaining its alignment with its mother in Europe.
Confederation and Territorial Expansion
The colonies of Michigan, Canada, Wisconsin, the Maritime Colonies, and Niagara would unite into the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1848. The first Prime Minister of this new nation would be John A. Macdonald, a large advocate for the creation of Canada. The city of Ottawa would be chosen as the capital, as it held a secure position from foreign threats and held proximity between Ontario and Quebec.
As these colonies developed and Britain held its independent policy in its territories west of Canada, the United States began military expansion westward into Mexico. This was a major foreign issue to Canada, and it sought to outcompete the United States in the West to keep out American expansion into Canada. To do this, Canada purchased the Northwest and Southwest Territories on July 20, 1851. Its goal to expand began. As more people settled in the Red River Region, local Métis people began the Red Colony Rebellion under the feeling of oppression. This rebellion would lay the foundations for the creation of Manitoba and the future North-West Resistance, which encompassed all of Western Canada. The creation of Manitoba would see major settlements along the Red River like Fargo expand as a transcontinental railway was being developed during the mass immigration to British Columbia.
With an incentive to build the transcontinental railway, enough people settled along the Mississippi River to form the Province of Minnesota on July 1, 1852. The cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis would eventually connect with Manitoba with the new railway, creating the proper frontier for immigration out the west. This would have both provinces boom in population, with most settlers arriving in Minneapolis.
The same year on July 20, shortly after Minnesota joined the Federation, Canada negotiated with Britain to acquire the colony of British Columbia and Vancouver Island, creating the modern borders BC has today, with the Oregon territory to its south. With Canada officially having territory expanding from the Atlantic to the Pacific, it was a great priority for Ottawa to settle the region. A significant event that would help drive this immigration and economic development of BC would be the Fraser Valley Gold Rush, with many people from Eastern Canada, Europe, and the United States flocking to the region to potentially gain wealth. This would help establish future large cities like Granville and Surrey, but as time went on, more people settled in the Puget Sound region and the Columbian River. Major Pacific ports like the New Oxford region would soon develop to become the major city of the province. With this growth in industry and population, a railroad to connect the province with the east would begin quickly. The project would be known as the Canadian Pacific Railway and would begin construction from Minneapolis, to Winnipeg, and through the Prairies. It was the largest construction project in the nation for its time and would be a major success after it was built. However, building the railway cost many lives, especially those from the Asian continent.
As the Columbian River region grew due to the fur and lumber market in the southwest of Canada, the Oregon Territory would be split into two new provinces, Oregon and Thompson in February of 1859. In March, the US Civil War would break out and these two provinces would become important in Canada’s economic and military support to California. The addition of these provinces would help secure Canada’s position in the Pacific.
Between 1859 and 1878, Canada would see the provinces of Ontario and Quebec expand north, as the territory of Keewatin expanded in size. Eventually, a new question would come to Ottawa. That question would be about the Yukon River, and more specifically, the Russian American territory.
The Yukon River became a great region of debate as a new Gold Rush came upon it. Almost as if it was an echo of British Columbia, many flocked to the region. It was Canada's economic goal to control all of the Yukon River, and a dispute with the Russian Empire on the Russian American territory began. To develop the proper needs of this expansion and hold greater control over the region, the Yukon Territory was created. Canadian settlers would cross into Russian America and begin to settle, and look for more gold in the region. In 1871, Russia and Canada would finally come to an agreement and the purchase of Alaska was final; the region was fully united under the Yukon Territory, but would remain sparsely developed and populated until the build-up to the Pacific War.
The drive up north, expansion to the Pacific, and economic expansion into California would create the conditions for economic and population growth in the prairie regions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Assiniboia, Montana, North and South Dakota, and Cheyenne. The influx of millions of German immigrants and fleeing members of the rebellions helped drive the population and development of the prairie regions in Wisconsin and the newly founded provinces, creating the breadbaskets of the nation and future growth in the oil industry later on.
The Keewatin Territory was established in 1857 and went through multiple territorial changes. The territory was mostly settled with Inuit natives in its northern regions, with few European settlers in the south near Manitoba. As time went on, and its territory changed, multiple calls for being admitted as a province to encompass all Inuits grew. In 1900, the first draft of the province was made. Its capital, districts, and borders were first shown and disputed in Ottawa. The first major claim was the Nunavik region in northern Quebec, which was settled by the Inuits. Quebec had major issues with this claim, such as resources and future attempts to carve up the province, even more, to keep it isolated in the Federation. A counterclaim to this was that if a province can vote to leave the Federation, so should a district of a province if it meets all legal requirements. As a result, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to the referendum in Nunavik. The result was a unanimous agreement to join the future province. As a result, Keewatin was accepted as the next province of Canada with its acquired territories. This was seen as a victory for Native peoples within Canada, as it allowed them to take part in Canada’s government on all levels. Despite becoming a province and acquiring Nunavik, that wasn’t the end of Keewatin’s expansion. When Newfoundland joined the Federation, it was agreed the northern region of the Labrador region would join Keewatin. Its final expansion of territory would be the Danish Territory of Greenland. After the Great War, Canada’s investment in the Arctic and Keewatin increased, with naval bases and resource extraction projects. These investments gave Keewatin a greater opportunity for economic and population growth. Official Keewatin statements agreed that it was willing to unite with Greenland if Ottawa allows it to join the Federation. The first official meeting between Canada and Greenland to discuss unification began in the 1950s, discussing the logistics of unification and benefit, some of these benefits were talks about increased living standards. As reconciliation with the Native population became an issue discussed publicly in Canadian politics, questions of unfairness were open. In 1952, Greenland would hold a vote on the decision. There were two choices: 1. Join Canada 2. Status quo. After the vote was counted, the majority agreed to join Canada and the province of Keewatin. After agreements with the Danish government, Greenland officially joined Keewatin.
As American expansion and influence grew across the Caribbean and South America with the annexation of Cuba, Haiti, Dominica, and Puerto Rico; the British West Indies found itself in a position of fear against further American expansion. As Germany’s navy expanded and the world seemed to soon be in a state of war, the British navy was focused on the European peninsula. The colonies were in a weak position, and its population knew that if they were occupied by the states, they’d be under greater and extreme racial discrimination as the US had only banned the use of African-descent slaves two decades prior. As a result of this fear, they sought to join Canada for greater protection. While not on paper, Canada's foreign policy with the United States was to contain American expansion in regions it sought to be aligned with. A great debate emerged in Ottawa, with an advocacy for the colonies to join and another for the opposite. Some deemed it would threaten European heritage as a result of bringing in nonwhites, while others deemed the cost of American expansion to be a greater threat to all. In the end, a vote was taken and the British West Indies were accepted to join and would officially join on November 7, 1913.
Japan's expansion in Asia may have been an ocean away from Canada’s Pacific coast, but it had a major impact on the politics within the country. Japan's imperial expansion in China and territorial gains in The Great War had Canada prepare war plans in case a war broke out. To properly prepare, it planned to invest in defences and airbases in the Yukon Territory as a way to be able to quickly react if the country was ever under attack. Construction began in Prince George, British Columbia to build a road to properly connect the territory with the rest of Canada. As the road was being built, ships were docking in the growing forts of Anchorage to establish air bases there and beyond. As these bases and the roads finished construction, and troops began to move in, Yukon saw itself have a new image of Canada’s expanding Air Force and military potential. As the Pacific War broke out, more investments were made to expand naval and air bases, making infrastructure more sustainable in the cold climate. After the war, Yukon saw its population begin to steadily increase as the military's investments made it sustainable to live on the coast. In 1968, massive oil reserves would be found in the Yukon’s North Slope. This discovery allowed Yukon to develop a grand oil industry, with major wealth coming out of the province and increasing its living standards.
Keewatin wouldn’t be the only Native majority province to join the Federation. Athabasca follows a similar story to Keewatin, with the Athabascan people wishing for a province. This request came with opposition, as some argued that Keewatin was the opening gate for other Native groups to split off provinces and territories and cause Canada to fall apart. However, these claims were never completely taken for granted and Athabasca followed the legal steps to become a province. It would be created in 1936, but its true potential wouldn’t be found until 1965 when a massive oil reserve was found in its southwest region north of Alberta. This oil reserve would soon be founded to be the largest in Canada and third in the world. Athabasca found itself in an oil boom, with people flocking into the southwest region and cities quickly sprawling. The movement of people was so large that it affected the nearby city of Edmonton in Alberta, by having its population grow with Athabasca. Athabasca became the quickest-growing province in both population and GDP during its oil boom, investing in massive pipelines reaching the Pacific and Great Lakes, and even investing one through the United States into the Gulf of Mexico. It would become the energy hub of Canada and remains the largest oil and natural gas producer in the country.
The next province to join Canada would be Newfoundland in 1949, with members of the government arguing that joining Canada would increase the living standards of the people and region.
The next province to join Canada is West Ontario. It split off from Ontario in 1976, due to the region feeling disconnected from Toronto and its population centres. Despite being the Northern part of Ontario, the name West Ontario derives from the province not wanting to be oriented north of Ontario’s population centres, the regions it felt disconnected to. Another reason is that its capital Thunder Bay is located West of the Great Lakes, so its name acts as a symbol of its government being located in Western Canada.
The most recent province to join Canada would be its last remaining territory, known as the Northwest Territories. After much territorial change, the region began to develop a large enough population and economy to sustain itself economically by the 20th century, and on July 15, 1999, the territory would become the province known as Mackenzie, named after the major river that runs through the region.
The American Civil War
The American Civil War was a defining moment in North American history. It would change the political and cultural foundation of the continent and set it on a new path.
While not being militarily involved, Canada would play a major economic factor in the war. John A. Macdonald had a strong anti-American expansion policy, so he became a major advocate to support the claimed independent nations of California and the Free American Republic. He would support the war by maintaining economic relations with the FAR and California, while also developing infrastructure that would connect with the Canadian Pacific Railroad to be able to support and increase the number of goods crossing the border between the nations, with all of these actions being approved by Britain. This economic link would be the lifeline that would support the FAR and California’s fight for independence, creating a strong economic and military relationship between all three nations, with the ability to support each other with relative ease.
These investments by John A. Macdonald would bring economic growth and connectivity in the southwest regions of the newly founded provinces of Oregon and Thompson, while also helping the greater development of the province of Niagara; beginning the construction of the Erie Canal to increase the movement of goods between the FAR and Canada. Such an increase in trade and movement of people became a major factor in the reconstruction and development of both newly independent nations after the war, but it also came with its problems. The United States would have difficulty aligning itself with its northern neighbour and would do its best to expand greater influence into South America and the Caribbean. This trade-off would come with great debate during the Canadian federal election in 1865 by Macdonald's Loyal Opposition, with the Liberal party stating that Canada should’ve tried to help keep the Union from ripping itself apart and act with Britain as maintainers of peace, instead of creating a new enemy it may have to fight later. This would cost Macdonald’s political career, but it wouldn’t stop Canada from continuing to strengthen its ties with the FAR and California after the civil war was over.
Canada would not only secure an economic advantage after the war, but it would see itself having a more secure border from the United States. It no longer had to dedicate military infrastructure across 2,170 km of its border and could focus its military in Michigan and the southern Prairies, a change that would affect the very outcome of the future Great War.
In the end, Canada found itself with two close allies that shared similar traditions and values from the very beginning. The trade-off was an enemy that would not build better relations with the North until the early 1960s when the United States began opening up its economy to the world and experiencing massive growth, known as the American Age.
The Great War
The Great War would substantially change Canada, its culture, and its image on the world stage. The North American Theatre was a brutal and destructive moment in the war, encompassing four nations into war and one country into political turmoil.
Canada had signed a defence pact with California and the Free American Republic to deter an American invasion of the three nations, but that goal was not achieved. At the end of the war, the United States would have invaded Michigan, the Canadian Prairies, Southern California, and Western Pennsylvania. This massive assault would drain the United States' resources and extend the war into a gritting stalemate, causing major cities like Detroit to be levelled by artillery in the process. Such an important city to Canada being destroyed only fueled its commitment to secure a victory. As the frontlines in Michigan fell to Canada's advantage, the treatment of Prisoners of War and its battlefield tactics would become brutal, committing war crimes in mass against its enemy and using chemical weapons.
When the United States surrendered, Canada did not exit the war. It had also found itself at war with Germany and its allies as the United States shared a military alliance with the nation. Canada would send large units of troops and equipment to the Western Front in Europe, as its war machine began to ramp up its production from the North American Theatre. The support of its navy and army would see the war ended in 1917, with the Treaty of Versailles being signed in 1918. The Entente would punish Germany as it saw fit.
By the end of the war, the Southern Canadian Prairies and Michigan would begin rebuilding, and their populations would move back. With the ability to redesign faults in infrastructure, Detroit would be able to make itself easier to expand and develop in the long run. Its industries would come back and help rebuild, with Canadian companies like General Motors bringing back its industries to the city.
The war would bring a stronger sense of nationalism and the incentive to invest and improve defences at its southern border, while also bringing in massive expansion to its peacetime military. The Royal Canadian Navy would see itself double in size by 1940, with larger West groups of citizens volunteering than before, large investments into technologies and research, and the creation of the Royal Air Force.
The war would bring a heavy dislike for the United States in Canada, with a majority of the population having a negative stance of the country, a position still seen today in small portions of the Canadian population. However, trade relations would improve and expand greater than before over time and bring in major growth for both nations.
Canada would see itself losing an estimated 3.6 million people in the conflict, with the United States losing an estimated 1.8 million—for every American loss, two Canadians died. The total death toll of the North American Theatre is roughly 5.9 million, and the entire war at an estimated 21 million, but these numbers are disputed. Such destruction had an impact on the future development of the nations until the mid-1920s when damage was restored and people began to recover.
The historic image and sites of the Great War settle throughout Canada, with most of them in the province of Michigan and the southern prairies, where the majority of the conflict happened. Some of these are memorials, statues, museums, and displayed weaponry of the time.
Canada’s involvement in post-war Europe
Canada would find itself as a representative in the Treaty of Versailles, along with the UK, France, Russia, and Italy; named the Big Five. They would eventually come to an agreement that Germany must be held responsible for the war, disarm its military, secede territory, and pay reparations for the damage caused by the war. These conditions were seen as harsh by many, but they would be implemented nonetheless.
To maintain peace and prevent another war in the future, the League of Nations would be created to promote cooperation and secure peace. Despite the organization being created and wishing to enforce its rules, it would come under question during its period and after the Pacific War.
While the treaty dealt with Germany and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary in separate discussions, Russia sought to expand its influence as its gain from war. Russia would annex Eastern portions of Germany and had a major influence in the creation of the Slavic state of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. It would also gain full control over Constantinople. With this major power shift east, Western Europe found itself a new foe. Britain and France would start to rethink their policies on Germany, as they feared a weakened Germany could fall to Russian influence and even potentially spark another Great War in Europe if it were to fall. With this, Britain and France would slowly reduce the number of repetitions Germany had to pay back and help support its economy to be more connected with Western Europe.
With these conditions in Europe, Canada also became concerned with Russian expansion in Europe, as it saw it as a great competitor in economics and the Arctic Region. Canada would begin to draft a plan with its Atlantic partners to create a military alliance, to deter Russian expansion and power. In 1925, Canada and 11 other nations would form the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO). The creation of this new alliance would consequently bring a negative reaction from Russia, stating it harmed peace in Europe.
The Pacific War
After the Great War, it was stated to be the war to end all wars. Despite such optimism, that was not the case. The Pacific War would be the next massive, destructive, and bloody conflict in human history; with some claiming it surpasses the Great War in its death toll.
The war would begin with the Japanese Empire's expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. The invasion of China would be condemned by many nations, but no action would be taken to stop it. Eventually, the Japanese war machine would find itself lacking the resources to hold a sustainable position in China for much longer, so it had to act quickly. The only solution besides pulling out of China was to attack European colonies in Southeast Asia, for its desired resources. Japan would launch an attack on British naval bases in Singapore, marking the beginning of European intervention in what would be known as the Pacific War.
The news of the attack quickly became known, with Britain calling on its NATO allies to determine if the alliance is eligible for intervention. In Brussels, it would be found that NATO is under no legal obligation to defend Britain as Japan had attacked territory South of the Tropic of Cancer. Despite this finding, many of Britain's NATO allies including Canada would join the war, along with France and the Netherlands after their territories were attacked. The Russians would soon follow, stating Japan was a threat to world peace, along with many other nations stating the same. The war was expected to be quick and dealt with within a year, but the war would last for three years.
Canada’s military would begin massive naval campaigns alongside France and Britain to liberate Japanese-occupied territories, using the Kingdom of Hawaii and the British Raj as naval bases to attack deep into East Asia.
The war would see innovations in naval and aerial warfare and technology, while also improving communication channels around the world. The war would also see the development of the Atomic Bomb, with the large top-secret Granville Project taking place across Canada, the FAR, California, and Britain. Despite the bomb being a success, it was not used as planned due to Japan surrendering before the weapon could be shipped across the Pacific. This would make Canada the first country to have nuclear weapons, a weapon it still has today.
On the world stage, the League of Nations would be seen as a failure to its expectations, and massive reform was required to prevent another massive war. The United Nations would be created to create the proper structure to prevent war, even with military intervention if needed. It would create the Security Council, and have five permanent members, with Canada being one.
Canada’s involvement in post-war Asia
When Japan surrendered to the Coalition in the Pacific War, it was agreed upon that Japan would be temporarily divided into four regions by Canada, China, Russia, and the UK. The goal of this division was to deny Japan the ability to wage war again and to rebuild it into a new nation. Emperor Hirohito would remain leader of all divisions of Japan until it would be united into one nation again. At least, that was the plan.
Canada, China, and the UK had merged their territories after their completion of demilitarizing and rebuilding the destroyed parts of Japan. Russia on the other hand refused to merge its Northern Territory with the rest of Japan, splitting the nation into two and forever changing the political makeup of the island, even into modern day. The Pacific would become and still is a tense region for Russia and the West, as no progress has yet been made to unite the north and south.
The War On Terror
Canada had a strong military history in the Middle East. From supporting Israel to supporting factions that deteriorated Russian influence in the region, and partaking in the coalition against Iraq in the Gulf War—such a history would become the justification for a large-scale attack against Canada.
Canada had small skirmishes with Islamic extremism, with groups being responsible for bombings of military equipment and Embassies, but the nation responded to such attacks with a small air campaign to strike those responsible.
In 2005, the Arab Spring would erupt. With nations still healing from decolonization in the ’60s and 80’s, political turmoil was only inevitable as those nations were filled with corruption and lacked the proper leadership to maintain strong standards of living. The region was an opportunity for extremist groups to rise and a potential for major powers to seize the opportunity to spread influence. Civil wars would break out, and proxy warfare would persist. Such civil wars would lead military factions such as NATO to launch air campaigns across the Arab world, an action that would become the justification for the August 6 attacks in 2008.
August 6 would become a dark day for Canada. It saw four commercial airlines hijacked by 19 men, these men being a part of the extremist group known as Al-Qaeda who were based in Sudan and had networks across the Arab world. All four planes had their independent targets across Eastern Canada: the National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa, the Château Frontenac in Quebec City, the First Canadian Place in Toronto, and the Renaissance Centre in Detroit. The attacks would kill 2,308 people and begin what was known as the War on Terror with the invasion of Yemen, where leader Osama Bin Laden was hiding.
In terms of property damage, the damages towards the NDHQ would quickly be rebuilt as much damage was not caused compared to other targets. The Château Frontenac would see itself collapse shortly after impact, becoming a main symbol of the attacks. Tower 100 of the Renaissance Centre would collapse, as well as the First Canadian Place. In total, the cost of damages and clean-up would be around $30 to $40 billion.
Modern Day
Canada today is a highly developed nation with a mixed economy. It is the world’s second-largest economy by GDP, between China and the United States. It holds the 13th largest GDP per capita and is second in purchasing power. The Canadian Dollar holds a large influence over North America, but it is not as powerful in other continents besides Europe.
Its economy is fueled by productive manufacturing, natural resource extraction, and its developed infrastructure. Its largest trading partners are the United States, the Free American Republic, the European Union, China, and California. It is one of the largest exporters of technologies and energy while also being one of the largest importers. Canada has a highly globalized economy with many free trade agreements with its allies such as the EU, the FAR and California, the United States, and Australia. It has the largest coastline of any nation, maintaining some of the largest fisheries in the world, determined to protect them from illegal fishing methods and allowing ecosystems to thrive off its coast.
The nation’s economy is connected by large road and railway networks, with the automobile industry being the largest form of transportation. Recently, the Canadian Government has begun investing in high-speed railways, linking Detroit to Toronto and Montreal, and with proposals to link the Puget Sound region and continue further south into California. Its largest and main highway system across the nation is connected under Highway 1, which is owned and maintained by the Federal Government.
Canada’s energy sector in oil and gas extraction is a large source of income for the nation, connected via pipelines that span throughout from Athabasca (Canada’s largest oil producer), North Dakota (Canada’s second-largest oil producer) and Yukon (Canada’s third largest oil producer). It is the world's largest producer of oil. Another large source of energy is in British Columbia and Oregon, with many hydro dams producing clean energy for the western coast.
Canada is also the second largest manufacturer in the world, behind China.
Canada is home to a lot of large corporations of a diverse range of industries. Some of its most noticeable are General Motors and Ford in the automotive industry, Amazon in the e-commerce industry, Loblaws and Costco in the supermarket industry, Nike in the athletic industry, Boeing in the Aviation industry, and Canadian Natural Resources and Esso in the fossil fuel industry.
Healthcare in Canada was expanded and reformed under Lester Pearson, maintaining a public sector financed by the Federal and Provincial Governments while also maintaining a private sector that is regulated and works with the public sector. The system is modelled off the French healthcare system: a universal healthcare system mixed with public and private services, funded by health insurance based on income tax, with a regulated private sector. While the system is not as effective as France’s, it’s overall satisfaction in the nation stands high. The issues it faces are a lack of staff and issues in the medical supply chain, while workers are also facing a large burnout.
In terms of rankings, the nation is ranked 14 on the Corruption Perceptions Index, holding a score of 74 out of 100. In the Ease of Doing Business Index, Canada was ranked 8 on the list and one of the top ten most economically free nations. It is ranked 17 in the Quality of Life Index while being ranked the 12 happiest countries in the world.
Canadian culture is mostly a combination of British, French, Indigenous, and American traditions. However, with massive amounts of immigrants coming from other areas of the world, a mix of cultures has become more common in Canada. This combination of culture creates cities that hold European-like architecture and food, while also being mixed in with American-style infrastructure in roads and large skyscrapers—promoting it as a unique northern identity. The country holds its values to progressive, diverse, and multicultural policies—promoting itself as a just society. It holds a large media presence in North America and Europe, with major film production and companies being located in its western provinces, mostly British Columbia and extending into California’s Los Angeles. A large contributor to its media is the crowned owned media outlet the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC). Most of Canada’s nationalism comes from its contribution to the Great and Pacific Wars, while also promoting peace across the globe.
With a large population, strong economy, and rich natural resources, Canada found itself in a situation where it felt necessary to develop a large military to protect itself and its allies. It currently has three branches in its army: the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Royal Canadian Navy. All together, these three branches are united under the Canadian Armed Forces, currently the worlds strongest military. This achievement would come after the Pacific War and the introduction of rocket-propelled weaponry. Canada began planning and manufacturing the CF-105 Arrow, a project that would begin its endeavour to build a large, modern air force. Most of its aircraft fleets are built by private companies, such as Arrow, Boeing, and Bombardier. Canada has a large military presence within the northern Arctic in its defence policies against a potential incursion by Russia. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the largest in terms of tonnage, with a grand total of 2.8 million tons. The navy maintains five aircraft carriers (HMCS Toronto, HMCS Montréal, HMCS Halifax, HMCS Victoria, and HMCS Detroit), with three of them located in the Atlantic coast and two in the Pacific.
Canada’s acquisition of the nuclear weapon was a breakthrough in science in global politics, as it not only helped Britain create the weapon, but it would encourage nations like Russia, the United States, and China to develop their own programs. Currently, Canada has 2,839 nuclear warheads, the second largest ranking behind Russia.
Canada would be one of the major countries to be a part of the first moon landing missions, working with a coalition of European allies to send the first human to the moon during the Space Race in 1969. Its main space program, the Canada Space Agency (CSA), is based in the British West Indies as it is the closest territory Canada has to the equator. It is a massive tourist destination in the province to see the historical sites and museums of the history of the CSA program.
